Computerized electronic temperature control system for thermal efficiency during baking in food research

Abstract

factors that are known to produce variability, is vital in food research. 1 Conventional electric ovens are often used for food research purposes at research laboratories. 2 Conventional electric ovens usually have capillary thermostats and can consequently have a wide variation in average oven temperature, and long heating and cooling cycles. Standard specifications for conventional electric ovens require that the average internal temperature at each thermostat setting should not differ from the temperature indicated on the thermostat by more than 10°C. 3 This requirement has become the standard in many countries. In ovens with a variation in average oven temperature of 10°C, the average length of the cooling and heating cycle is approximately 5 min. 4 The latter variation in average oven temperature and time for the heating and cooling cycles is very crude and can result in a significant percentage variation with replication of treatments.Some researchers have attempted to control conditions during baking by using ovens designed and built by themselves. 5-7 A good example of temperature control can be found in the research aimed at the development of a highly reproducible conventional microwave oven for development work commissioned by the Food Refrigeration and Process Engineering Research Centre at the University of Bristol. This research was undertaken as a result of the non-repeatability of conventional microwave ovens. The system is designed to eliminate the factors that are known to produce variability and it will provide repeatable conditions so that any variations in heating will be due to differences in the foods themselves and not due to changes in the oven conditions arising from differences in the cavity or power supply. 8 The American Association of Cereal Chemists' approved methods 9 stipulate that reel or rotary ovens (gas or electric) used for baking tests must have level baking surfaces and be capable of temperature control to ± 2°C or less at 200°C. AbstractA more sophisticated temperature control system than the capillary thermostat in conventional electric ovens is necessary for laboratory research on foods. The aim of the study was to develop a computerized temperature control system (CTCS) for conventional electric ovens and to determine whether the CTCS could effect comparable and consistent results in two ovens with regard to oven and product characteristics of baked products. No significant differences were found between the two ovens with regard to average oven temperature, texture and height of products. In most instances there were also no significant differences between the ovens with regard to instrumental colour measurement and moisture loss. The regression results also illustrated the effectiveness of the CTCS, i.e. that an increase in set oven temperature of 1°C has a significant effect on specific oven and product characteristics. The CTCS therefore significantly improved the reproducibility of quality characteristics of baked products. Thus, more consistent and repeatable re...

Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) pre‐pupae meal as a dietary protein source for broiler production ensures a tasty chicken with standard meat quality for every pot

“…Thermocouple probes attached to a hand‐operated digital temperature monitor (Hanna Instruments, Bellville, South Africa) were placed in the centre of each of the meat samples and sealed in the oven bag to keep the probe in place . The prepared samples were placed in a conventional oven (model 835, Defy, South Africa), connected to a computerized monitoring system responsible for regulation of the temperature . The ovens were pre‐heated to 160 °C .…”

“…18 The prepared samples were placed in a conventional oven (model 835, Defy, South Africa), connected to a computerized monitoring system responsible for regulation of the temperature. 19 The ovens were pre-heated to 160 ∘ C. 18 The meat samples were removed from the oven when a core temperature of 75 ∘ C was reached. 18 The samples were left to cool for 15 min, allowing them to equilibrate to ambient temperature, blot dried and weighed (for cooking loss calculation).…”

The influence of post‐mortem conditioning on the tenderness of Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) breast meat (M. pectoralis major)

“…The left M. pectoralis major of each of the treatments/birds was placed inside an oven bag, whereas the other (right M. pectoralis major) was set aside for biochemical analyses. The oven bags containing the meat samples were then placed on stainless steel grids, which were placed on an oven roasting pan and the samples were cooked according to the method described by Geldenhuys et al 4 and Viljoen et al 18 The meat samples were removed from the oven when a core temperature of 75 ∘ C was reached. 17 The samples were cooled for 15 min, after which the portions were individually wrapped in aluminium foil and placed in a refrigerator (1-2 ∘ C) for approximately 24 h.…”